How does the poem serve to highlight the difference between
experience and knowledge?
when i heared the learned astronomer by walt whitman
Answers
Answer:
When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer Summary & Analysis
Download this LitChart! (PDF)
"When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" was written by poet, teacher, and Civil War volunteer nurse Walt Whitman. Whitman first published "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" in 1865 in his poetry collection Drum-Taps. In the poem, Whitman conveys his belief in the limits of using science to understand nature. Rather, Whitman suggests, one needs to experience nature for true understanding, instead of measuring it. The poem is an example of Whitman's characteristic free verse.
You can read the full text of “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer” here.
“When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer” Summary
The speaker listens to an esteemed astronomer lecture on the stars. The astronomer displays various mathematical proofs and evidence in columns to the audience in support of a scientific argument. The astronomer also displays various charts and diagrams and explains the mathematical calculations behind them. The speaker sits in the audience, who all applaud the astronomer’s lecture with great enthusiasm. Very quickly and unexplainably, the speaker finds the whole lecture unbearable. Therefore, the speaker rises and leaves the lecture room alone. Outside, it is nighttime and the air is damp. There is a magical quality to the surrounding nature. Occasionally, the speaker looks up at the beautiful stars overhead and embraces the silence of the night.
Explanation: